Author: Ina Steiner

Ina Steiner is co-founder and Editor of EcommerceBytes and has been reporting on ecommerce since 1999. She's a widely cited authority on marketplace selling and is author of "Turn eBay Data Into Dollars" (McGraw-Hill 2006). Her blog was featured in the book, "Blogging Heroes" (Wiley 2008). She is a member of the Online News Association (Sep 2005 - present) and Investigative Reporters and Editors (Mar 2006 - present). Follow her on Twitter at @ecommercebytes and send news tips to ina@ecommercebytes.com. See disclosure at EcommerceBytes.com/disclosure/.

Amazon Reduces Fees for UK Multichannel Fulfillment

May 9, 2021May 9, 2021 Ina Steiner

Amazon reduced some fees for sellers who use its services for fulfilling orders on non-Amazon channels in the UK. A spokesperson told EcommerceBytes Amazon reduced MCF Standard fees by up to 18% and reduced Expedited fees by up to 24%. Read more

eBay Hires New Chief Exec to Handle Operations and Strategy

May 9, 2021May 9, 2021 Ina Steiner

eBay hired another new executive with “Chief” in the title, this one Chief Business and Strategy Officer. Stefanie (Stef) Jay comes to eBay from Walmart and “will lead an organization that combines Strategy, Business Operations, Analytics and Communications.” That describes Read more

From the Editor – May 9, 2021

May 8, 2021May 7, 2021 Ina Steiner

Online marketplaces reported strong growth in the first quarter of 2021 – but did existing sellers sell more, or did the majority of growth come from new sellers? Unfortunately they don’t say, unlike retail chains that report “same store sales” Read more

EcommerceBytes Soundoff: Letters to the Editor – May 9, 2021

May 8, 2021May 7, 2021 Ina Steiner

In every issue, readers soundoff about issues important to them. From shipping issues to payment processing, from fees to online marketplace policies, EcommerceBytes Soundoff gives you a chance to air your views. Dear Ina,I had a customer that bought some Read more

eBay Rolls Out New Unpaid Item Policy, May 2021

May 8, 2021May 8, 2021 Ina Steiner

eBay sellers can now cancel orders if the buyer hasn’t paid within 4 days. In reminding sellers of the new policy, eBay updated one key detail: “In our communication in the 2021 Spring Seller Update, we announced that you would Read more

Etsy Runs Flash Sale But Only through Its Mobile App

May 6, 2021May 9, 2021 Ina Steiner

Etsy is running a flash sale on Friday, May 7, but only through the Etsy mobile app. The marketplace sent an email to shoppers on Thursday advertising 20% off or more, with a subject line: “Tomorrow” bookended by trumpet emojis. Read more

Online Sales Grow in April, as Do Total US Retail Sales

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021 Ina Steiner

Online sales rose 20% last month year-over-year, according to Mastercard SpendingPulse. Comparing April 2021 to April 2019, online sales grew 95%. As far as total US retail sales, they grew 23% in April 2021 year-over-year. A Mastercard spokesperson said retail Read more

Etsy Updates Categories to Support Sellers in India

May 6, 2021May 6, 2021 Ina Steiner

Each month, Etsy updates categories and product attributes sellers use to list their products. Among the changes this month, it added new categories tailored to sellers in India. Sellers should note that Etsy automatically moved some listings to the new Read more

Sales on Etsy Grow 144% in First Quarter of 2021

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 Ina Steiner

Sales on the Etsy marketplace grew 144% to $2.9 billion in the first three months of 2021. Sales including Reverb grew 132% and revenue 141%. In what may be news to sellers, Etsy said it had enhanced personanlized search in Read more

eBay CEO Makes Case for USPS Reliability, Reduced Regulations

May 5, 2021May 5, 2021 Ina Steiner

eBay sponsored an event for small businesses put on by Politico, and eBay CEO Jamie Iannone keynoted the event where he made an argument for a strong US Postal Service and for reducing burdensome regulations. Politico’s virtual event, “Beyond Survival: Read more